Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
The Lord reigneth - i:e., the Lord become king - (Psalms 96:10; Psalms 97:1; Psalms 99:1.) The formula proclaimed at the accession of earthly sovereigns (2 Samuel 15:10; 1 Kings 1:11; 1 Kings 1:13; margin, 2 Kings 9:13, "Jehu reigneth"). The reference is not to the ordinary and constant government of God, but to His assuming a new and glorious kingdom. The arrogant proclamation of the world power was virtually 'the Assyrian reigneth;' the overthow of him was God's counter- proclamation, "The Lord (Yahweh) reigneth." The antitypical sense is the world-powers under Antichrist, energized by Satan (Revelation 16:14; Revelation 17:12-14), shall make one last desperate stroke, seemingly for the moment successful, for the dominion of the earth, in defiance of the Lord, (2 Thess
2.) But Christ will take His great power and reign as "King of kings and Lord of lords," having overthrown utterly the anti-Christian enemy (Isaiah 24:23; Obadiah 1:21; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 11:17; Revelation 19:6).
The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself. The expression "girded Himself," not 'He is girded,' refers to a future revelation of His might and majesty. Compare Isaiah 51:9. For "is clothed" translate, 'He hath clothed Himself ... He, hath girded Himself (Psalms 45:3) with strength.' The majestic might wherewith the Lord arrays Himself is the antidote to the proud strength of the God-opposed world.
The world also is established - in righteousness, with the kingdom of God on it, as the consequence of the Lord's coming in His kingdom: whereas the world had been disordered, and all its foundations of righteousness put 'out of course' (Psalms 82:5) by the usurping powers of this present world-course (Psalms 46:2-6). He will manifest in renovating and re-establishing the world, so that it cannot be moved, the same omnipotence which He exercised in creating it (Psalms 104:5, referring to creation). Here and in Psalms 96:10 the reference is to the re-establishment of the world now disorganized by sin; the allusion to creation and the new creation is appropriate in this psalm, which, with the former psalm, was designed for the Sabbath day. The Babylonian Talmud states that it was the Jews' custom to sing it on the sixth day of the week; so the Septuagint prefix the heading, 'For the day before the Sabbath, when the earth was established.'
Verse 2. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. God's throne, from everlasting and to everlasting, is set over against the modern 'throne of iniquity' (Psalms 94:20), erected by the godless rebels, which shall come to speedy overthrow.
Of old, х mee'aaz (H227)] - literally, 'from then,' "from that time" (Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 45:21; Isaiah 48:3; Isaiah 48:5; Isaiah 48:7; Proverbs 8:22; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17).